The clock finally began ticking toward resolution on a great number of NBA fronts Thursday, when the Houston Rockets officially received a three-year, $45 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks for restricted free agent Chandler Parsons. The Rockets now have three days to decide whether to match the offer sheet and keep Parsons, or decline to match and allow Parsons to go to the Mavericks.

The Parsons sheet, which includes a 15 percent trade kicker (meaning if either Houston or Dallas trades him during the life of the contract, he’s due an additional 15 percent of his remaining salary) and a player option after the second year, was signed early Thursday morning.

Houston’s now facing a dilemma. The Rockets have moved to create enough cap room to make a maximum contract offer to Miami unrestricted free agent Chris Bosh, with trades that would send Omer Asik to New Orleans and Jeremy Lin to Philadelphia for future Draft picks. Those trades can now be carried out with the expiration Thursday of the July Moratorium on all contract signings and trades.

Once those deals are finalized, Houston can offer Bosh a max deal for four years and almost $90 million.

The problem for the Rockets is that if Bosh doesn’t agree to sign with Houston in the next three days, the only way Houston can match the Mavericks’ offer sheet for Parsons is to use the cap room it is saving for Bosh. If Bosh does agree to sign with the Rockets, Houston can exceed the cap in order to match the offer sheet and keep Parsons. But that is the sequence that must take place.

Houston had indicated it would match any sheet for Parsons, and the Rockets may well match this one. But it may cost them a chance at Bosh, which Houston views as the perfect power forward to play alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden.

And the Rockets, of course, are further hampered because Bosh has expressed a preference to continue playing with LeBron James. But Bosh may not know where James is going to play next season in the next 72 hours, as James decides whether to return to Miami or go home and play with the Cavaliers, the team that drafted him first overall in 2003 and that is near his Akron hometown.

The Rockets tried to work out sign-and-trade scenarios with the Mavericks for Parsons before they officially received the offer sheet. But once Houston was given the paperwork, under league rules, it could no longer entertain sign and trade possibilities. The Rockets can now only match or not match.

If the Rockets do match, they won’t be able to trade Parsons for one year without his consent, and they can’t trade him to the Mavericks at all. Nor can his contract be reworked in any way.

The option year is especially vexing to the Rockets and owner Les Alexander, according to a source. They couldn’t trade Parsons without his okay during the first year as stated above. That would leave them only one season with him before he could potentially become an unrestricted free agent — the same summer that Howard could opt out and be unrestricted. Howard and Parsons share the same agent, Dan Fegan.

This scenario unfolded after the Rockets declined their 2014-15 team option on Parsons, making him a restricted free agent. If the Rockets had picked up that one-year option, Parsons would have become an unrestricted free agent in 2015, able to sign anywhere. The reasoning behind that decision was that even though Parsons could get offer sheets in 2014, the Rockets planned to match anything. And it gave the team time to try and sign Parsons to a long-term deal before he hit unrestricted free agency.

23 Comments

Parsons is a great player but Houston would be best served to sign Bosh and let Parsons go to Dallas. Great deal for both teams. The addition of Bosh will really spread the defense further opening up opportunities for Howard and Harden. Houston needs PF, Dallas needs SF. Dallas will get the same effect with Parsons/Nowitzski/Chandler.

What Rockets always do is they don’t get the same team play together and improve. Instead they add pieces every year and never win. That is why they didn’t win a playoff series in so many years. They have to keep young guys improve the team.
I think match parson and let DEMO play at power forward , this team will improve. All we need is a good point guard who can make play and make other players better. I think if we get Rondo or any good point guard, we don’t need bosh or Carmelo . DEMO is a 7 footer and is young, He can improve his game if get playing time

people is wrong with Bosh, he is not a over-rated player, he did in Miami what LeBron and Wade didnt and that is called: improve the game, he extend his perimeter shoot, he learn how to run the court better and Today I think he’s one of the top 10 players in the NBA

Top 10 today? LeBron, Parker, Duncan, Aldridge, Lillard, Love, Durant, Paul, Griffin, Irving. That’s 10 just off the top of my head that put Bosh to shame. You went from saying he isn’t over rated to completely over rating him in the same paragraph.

I respect that but the reason of what i said is because Bosh doesnt take to many shots and his accuracy is good when bosh scores 20 he takes from 10-14 shots the other guys take 20+ shots including harden that is my favorite player

people is wrong with Bosh, he is not a over-rated player, he did in Miami what LeBron and way did and that is called: improve the game, he extend his perimeter shoot, he learn how to run the court better and Today I think he’s one of the top 10 players in the NBA

Bosh would make a great addition to any team. He is a team player, a good player, and a CURRENT 20-10 player. He has voluntarily taken a step back to fit Miami’s offense, but can still shoot, even from 3 point range. He can still rebound and along side Howard, Bosh would become a monster, open things up for Harden and let Howard control the paint.
His experience will greatly add to Houston’s team. Houston should also try to keep Parson to round things out.

The rockets had their bluff called, in hindsight, the smart decision would’ve been to accept parsons team option for this season at about 1.1 mil, now they stand to lose not only their intended target in bosh, but possibly parsons as well.. they are playing with fire when they shouldve played it safe.

Houston made a huge mistake. They should of picked up the option on Parsons and sought after other free agents. I think Channing Frye, DJ Frye and Henry Xavier would have been great additions. Shouldn’t of gambled on Melo!!!!

Chris bosh was and will always be in the shadow of every superstar in the team. Even when he was in TORONTO he never was the superstar you wanted him to be. Letting go of PARSONS is like letting go the hardest working individual in the team. PARSONS is not a superstar but he can score at will and can defend. They don’t need BOSH.

James should make Cleveland pay by not returning there. They just want him back because they haven’t been in the playoffs since he left. Irving simply can’t do it on his own, and the so-called Next LeBron in Anthony Bennett disappointed everyone. Most kings are bad-a$$es and it’s time for you to be one, at least to those who mocked you after enjoying a finals stint that could have never been conceivable before.

The only real problem with LBJ staying in Miami is that long magnet of him in Bosh. That guy just wants to cling on to him like an ant on a cube of sugar. Come on Chris, act like a star for a change. If you can’t man up on court, at least do so in making your own decisions. In the Heat, you’re just a glove that didn’t fit. Go to Houston, enjoy the money and share your path to your two rings to Superman and Beardo.

How? Boozer is useless and can be let go to free up money. Bosh wants to follow LBJ, but be paid like him. Parson, though not a superstar is a star and wants to be paid like one. Dallas obliged and in the process will/can hurt Rockets either way.

Signing Parsons to 15MM+ isn’t nearly as bad as Boozer. It’s only 3 years and you’re paying for a 15-5-5 player playing from ages 25-28. Boozer’s deal was almost twice as long and extended past age 30 (last year of the deal now and he’s 32).

I think signing Bosh to a max deal has a huge risk of being like the Boozer deal. Paying for age 30-34. A former 20-10 player that may lose steam fast. Rockets may end up amnestying Bosh at 24 million 4 years from now…